Old Wounds
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Pain is something all hollows know. Pain of the flesh, of the body, of the soul. They are wounded creatures, seeking solace in devouring the souls of others to satiate their pain. Their wounds. But some wounds are old wounds, borne not of the body but of the mind. Some wounds never heal. They linger like an infestation, clinging with regret. Always. NarutoxNeliel. Potential harem.
1. Old Wounds

**A/N: Weeeeeelll...I have no idea where this thought came from. I was literally sitting down, rewatching old episodes of Bleach, basking in the nostalgia, when the idea came to me; we know next to nothing of the old espada rankings. Naturally, my imagination took it from there. I would say more, but I don't want to spoil anything. And on that note...**

**...enjoy!**

_"Ohhhh...that looks like it hurt a lot."_

_~?_

**Old Wounds**

"Shit!" the espada cussed as he struggled to scrape himself up off the desert floor; hastening to flee before his adversary found him again. His body wasn't anywhere near up to the task. Even as he struggled to his feet his fingers scrabbling fiercely across the cold sand, he heard the growling again. It started as a low rumble, growing steadily in volume with each passing second. And with each passing second the arrancar felt his heart-or whatever passed for a hollow's heart-quicikening with fear. He had to get out of here. Leave. Now. Before it was...too late. A bleak blur descended upon him in a typhoon of fists and feet, forcing him to flee into the desert once more. This was too much.

Way too much!

Nnoitra Gilga had never known this much pain before in all his non-life. Even his transformation into an arrancar at the hands of Sosuke Aizen seemed a cakewalk in comparsion to the epileptic agony wreaking havoc on his body. To make matters worse, he had only himself to blame; though he'd never admit it aloud. Every slash bearing down upon him-each wound and droplet of blood splashing across the sands of Hueco Muendo was entirely his fault,a harsh recompense for his temerity, for the crime he had comitted. His crime, you ask?

Attacking one Neliel Tu Odschervank.

With the aid of one Szayel Apporro he'd ambushed the then-Tercera, dealing her a devastating blow to the head. It had been a perfect plan; with that peace-loving bitch gone he could finally advance. None of the other arrancar save Szayel were aware of his treachery, or if they were...they didn't seem to care. It was almost too good to be true. But as all things often are, it was. One arrancar had taken notice of Neliel's abscence, and his reaction had been nothing short of spectacular.

_Fifth._

Nnoitra had failed to take into account just how "that idiot" might react when faced with the loss of their dear Neliel. He'd always seemed so uncaring when it came to well_...everything._ Be it Aizen or shinigami-the only thing the Quinto Espada had ever seemed to care about was playing pranks on his fellow arrancar. Yes, pranks. His gags had made him something of a legend, not just in Las Noches, but all of Hueco Muendo itself. The "idiot" as Nnoitra often called him was notorious for his ingenuity, each prank was more scathing than the last. Starrk and Barragan were almost regular victims-more than once, Nnoitra had found himself the unwitting party in these ill-fated bouts of amusement, and much like Grimmjow, he was helpless to do anything about it.

It had been, to an extent, amusing. Especially when the ever-clever blonde painted a smile upon Ulquiorra's face. Somehow thinking about that made Nnoitra feel just a touch better, even when he was running for his very life.

Not even Aizen-sama was immune; supposedly the Quinto espada had somehow managed to superglue the shinigami's glasses-despite the latter having been disintegrated by the man himself-onto his visage for almost an entire week before their leader finally managed to get them off. Then he'd gone and died Sosuke's entire wardrobe orange. Orange! Under normal circumsatance thinking about it would be more than enoguh to send Nnoitra into a fit of laughter. Now, it only served to remind him of the blonde's audacity. If he was willing to screw with the boss for something so simple as a change in management...then, what the hell would he do to a fellow espada?! It was just-

A heavy _reaitsu_ settled upon the Octava's shoulders, sending Nnoitra fleeing in another burst of motion to escape. His mind worked frantically for a solution, gears grinding as he weaved in and out of sonido, leading his pursuer on an erratic back towards Las Noches. If he could just make it back to the safety of the castle, then there was a chance that someone, anyone might take notice in the chase and intervene. As much as it galled the sapda to admit it, he didn't stand a chance against Fifth, even with his ressurreccion released. His release state was meant solely for battle-right now, he just wanted to survive in one peace-

_THUM!_

A dull hum was the only warning he received before the crimson streak of a _cero_ descended upo him, missing the arrancar by a hair's width before lighting the horizon for miles in either direction. The sheer concussive force alone threatened to launch Nnoitra from his feet; even from here, he could feel the intense heat sizzling against his uniform. With a quick twist of his body, he spun himself off the sands and quickly launched into a rapid sonido in the opposite direction, knowing any chance of navigating the blaze.

He could only run.

There was no knowledge the Octava could call upon to aid him in this bout; precious little was known about Fifth beyond his name and his love of pranks; rumor had it he was the sole remaining natural arrancar amidst the espada, or something to that effect. Beyond that, nothing. Supposedly he'd been part of the upper echelone before Aizen came along and ignited his little revolution. Whatever the case, according to the others, that was around the time when the pranking first began.

But those cero were no prank, his attacker had meant to kill him with those explosions. He'd been lucky to escape! Never in all these centuries, had Nnoitra ever thought the boy could become so...violent. His spiritual's pressure could be fet everywhere, pressing down on him like an ocean, threatening to drown him if he dared to stop for breath.

Which unfortunately, he did.

"This is...just...ridiculous!" he swore, pausing to catch his breath behind one of the many salt trees lining the desert. "I didn't think he'd be this pissed!" Even as an exile, Neliel was exacting vengeance upon him, in the form of this bedeviled blonde pursuin him. "She's just a stupid bitch! What's so special about her?!"

_"Wanna say that again?"_

The dull buzz of _sonido_ jarred him out of his reverie, a bonechilling hiss sent shivers down his spine; the hunter had found him again.

"Ah, christ-

Nnoitra felt a fist slam into his jaw, then a kick catch him in the ribs, then an elbow smash into the back of his neck. Reeling, he tried to fight back, but he was completely blind to the superior espada's onslaught. These blows were completely beyond his level; the boy's speed was dizzying, incredible, unattainable. No matter which direction he turned, the assault continued. In the space of a few seconds, his entire body was screaming out with pain, a kaleidoscope of agony spiraling ever higher with each second. One thought raged amidst the sea of shame in which he found himself, surfacing as he gazed up into the deep blue eyes of his oppressor.

_'How the hell is this happening?!'_

"Had enough yet?" taunted the fifth espada, smashing one particularly powerful knee into the side of the blackette's head, dazing him. The _Octava_ gasped in shock and turned to favor his injury, opening himself up to a tremendously powerful _bala._ It sent him rocketing toward the ground. Truly, this catastrophe was his own undoing. He hadn't put two and two together until this very moment; Fifth had never pranked Neliel. Whether it was out of repect of fear, he knew not. But now it suddenly made sense. Why hadn't he seen it before?!

Only now-a day after Neliel's dissappearance, the blonde had ambushed him, grabbing him in a full nelson and all but dragging him well out of Las Noches in the time it took for the lesser arrancar to blink. This far from the castle there would be no backup, no intervention from Aizen-sama to save his life. Nnoitra Jiruga was alone with the enemy. And there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it.

His moment of inattention cost him most dear.

Nnoitra's single eye went wide as his right arm was severed from his body, the limb now falling away from him in a flash. The gloved fingers were wriggling slightly as the nerve endings within them struggled to receive signal from his brain once more, dropping the bala that they once held as his hand groped on blindly. The espada lunged backwards, his left arm stretched out towards the wound in an attempt to seize and stifle the old wound before he lost too much blood. His lone eye glared bloody red daggers at the perpetrator.

"Mother...fucking...

A shadowy figure buzzed into view, his body blocking the Arrancar, his eyes glaring out coldly from behind the frightening grin of his mask fragments. With a frightening hiss he swung his palm backward in a blur, a teal streak of energy rocketing out from the tip of his fingers and incinerating both the Espada's arm and within the dark energy. The ensuing explosion cast his maimer into light for the first time since the attack-exposing a ragged, bedraggled sea of matted blonde tresses, whiskered cheeks curled in devlish delight. Nnoitra ended his sentence with a hiss.

_...Naruto!"_

Right. Now he remembered again. That was the name of his tormentor, the Fith Espada who had hounded him halfway cross the desert, hounding him at every turn. Uzumaki Naruto. Quinto Espada, harmless prankster turned-merciless-torturer in the blink of an eye. Nnoitra hated him. Loathed him. Abhored him. Not because he lorded his superiority over others -he didn't- but because once the blonde started something, he finished it ten times out of ten. Always. He backed up words with strength, when he gave his word, he always kept it. And at the onset of their little chase he'd promised to make Nnoitra suffer before he killed him. Killed him. The blonde had murder on his mind and malice in his heart; he could see it in his eyes, taste it in his firce reiryoku.

Hell hath no fury like this man; any death at his hands would likely not be a slow one. As far as arrancar went, Naruto didn't look all that intimidating; were it not for the remnants of the mask forming a collar round his neck and angry slits marring his eyes, he would've looked entirely normal. Right now, those sapphire eyes were a terrifying shade of scarlet; freezing Nnoitra in his tracks.

His superior gazed at him for what felt like an eternity, sapphire sight bearing down on him like an invisible weight, _reaitsu_ all but crushing the breath from Nnoitra's lungs. Finally that smoldering gaze swiveled-traveled to the scorched sand that marked the final resting place of Nnoitra's lost limb.

"Look's like someone's going to be missing that." he mused aloud.

"No, not really." The monster frowned for half an instant, but quickly reforged his grin. Ha! He could easily regnerate a lost arm! And then he did just that-a new arm sprouting from the ruined detrius that'd once been a shoulder not a few short seconds before, albeit not without a lot of pain.

"Ohhhh...that looks like it hurt a lot," Naruto's smile didn't waver in the slightest. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"Good to know." the blonde drawled; in an instant he was within Nnoitra's guard, his fingers taking hold of the newly formed limb. "Then in that case-"

"Wha-

_"Yoink!"_

Nnoitra couldn't help it; this time he did scream as the blonde tore away his arm, severing it at the elbow and tossing it aside as effortlessly as one would a piece of paper.

"You little shit!"

Naruto's unflinching expression continued to provoke the lesser arrancar's wrath. "That's right. So have you got anything new, or are you just going to keep boring me?" Before Nnoitra could respond, Naruto caught up with him and smashed an elbow into his face, knocking him to the sands. The lanky espada spat blood and swore, smashing his fist against the ground. "How dare you!"

_"Ohhhhh_ was that your nose?" his superior snickered, hiding his rage behind a gleeful grin but Nnoitra wasn't fooled; that smile served only to shelter the malevolence within. "That was your nose, wasn't it? Now for the good ol' kidney!"

THRUCK. The blonde dashed forward and drove his fist deep into Nnoitra's gut, doubling him over.

BLAM! An uppercut caught the aspiring espada's jaw with full force, snapping his head back.

CRUNCH. The young blonde's thrust-kick smashed into the arrancar's face, crushing capillaries. Nnoitra's form lurched, a strangled snarl fleeing from his lips_. Aha!_ He thrust out his tongue impotently, a swell of saffron gathering at its tip, the golden wave ploughin forward into the blonde at point blank range.

His aggressor shook himself like a wet dog, and the Cero simply dissolved upon contact.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I really need to know where Neliel is." the blonde pressed. "After all, I can't get any information out of you if you're dead."

_"Screw you!"_

Shrieking, he whipped Santa Teresa down toward the slight blonde, still and unmoving, expressionless. His only acknowledgement of the descending crescent was to touch a hand to his own blade, a large nodachi stuck deep within its dragging orange sheathe. For a horrifying instant, Nnoitra feared he was about to release his true form_-his resureccion._ But Naruto did not unseal his blade. Instead he drew it merely a fraction of an inch from its imprisonment, a centimeter of steel appearing between the odd hilt and its scabbard before the blade burst free with a hiss.

_Ting._

Santa Teresa splintered as her curved edge bit into the exposed steel, fractures spreading across her pristine surface whilst her master looked on. And then the sword was sheathed once more, its dulled edge shattering Nnoitra's zanpakuto like so much glass, depriving him of his release and leaving him clutching its shattered shaft. No! Impossible! Nnoitra gawped as he clutched the crumbling pole of what had once been his weapon, a look of absolute fury marring his once-grinning face; as if to mock him, the blade flew free from its sheathe again seconds later.

Still the deadly katana continued its arc, his masterful swordsmanship slipping through the lithe arrancar's defenses to drive a fresh bruise into Nnoitra's torso. A curse slipped past his mouth. Naruto laughed at him-the crimson eyes for which his wrath was so well known now leering

"Do you see now," he said venomously, "how your actions have come back to haunt you?"

"Tch," Nnoitra hissed as he spit out a thin stream of blood. "Are you still upset over losing that bitch?" Not the wisest choice of words; he suddenly found Fifth's blade level with his torso. But if he was going to die, he'd decided to make it as painful as possible for his tormentor.

"She didn't give a shit about you," Nnoitra spat, reveling in the blonde's blank expression. "Anyone could see that you followed her around like a lost puppy—"

The words stopped in the espada's mouth, the sound replaced with blood, as his aggressor's sword thrust through his stomach.

"But _anything," he _growled as he twisted the blade in Nnoitra's gut, _"_is better than a life of emptiness."

The espada could feel the tip of Naruto's blade pushing against his spine; one flick of the wrist and no regeneration would be able to save him.

"Now, would you kindly tell me were Neliel-chan is?" the blonde's words seemed to ooze out at him in slow motion.

"I tossed her outta the castle." Nnoitra hissed, his molars grinding together with every syllable, "But ye'll never find her the way she is now...

"Thanks for the information, cyclops. For that, you get to live another day.

With a revolting splatter, Naruto tore his zanpakuto out of the arrancar's flesh, turning away and not sparing a single second to look back at his fallen opponent.

Nnoitra was left on his knees, his arms wrapped feebly around his midsection as his forehead rested pitifully on the ground. He couldn't believe he was going to die like this; bleeding to death in the sands of this hollow word , a helpless Espada slain by a being so out of his league, walking away coldly as his life slowly ebbed away from him. He had conquered so much in his time as an arrancar; risen through the rank of the espada to claim the place of Octava, with Neliel's abscence he hoped to ascend even higher.

But that was not to be.

Nnoitra's eyelid flickered as he struggled to keep his focus on the arrancar in front of him. The rest of time had slowed down once more, his superior's retreating form, frozen off in the distance. The espada gritted his teeth as he looked up at the broad back of his brualizer, his white and black coat pristine despite the torture he'd carried on for the las thour. How was this happening? This guy was even weaker than Neliel! How then could he be so frigging strong?! The apparition that was his death turned then, glaring down at him with an unflinching gaze. Nnoitra's head fell back down to the sands, his face scratching upon the rough grains even as he contemplated the very real possibility of defeat. No! Like hell he would die like this!

"Oi...where do ya think yer going?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his face slowly appearing over his shoulder as he curiously regarded his once fallen opponent. A look of irritation crossed his single eye as it regarded the recovering espada behind him, his figure slowly rising from the pained crouch that had consumed him moments before.

"Don't get up." he warned. "You'll die. 'Sides, you not even worth killing now."

"You think a shitty wound like this can kill me, Uzumaki?!" Nnoitra hissed, the blonde's pity was like stomping on an open wound. "Why're you running away?! Ya scared or somethin?!"

Naruto's gaze hardened, those crimson eyes calling out for blood.

"If that's the way you want to play it." he hissed.

"Pray!" Nnoitra screamed, thrusting the shattered shaft of his weapon into the air. "Santa...

_...Teresa?"_

It al happened so fast; one moment the blonde was standing across from him, blade shouldered . The next, he reappeared before him, gripped his zanpakuto within both hands and cut down. Hard. The long blade split through his resurreccion before it could even form, shattering what remained of his zanpakuto and ended his life. For a moment...it didn't hurt. The sheer weight of the blonde's reatisu actually tamped down the agony in an almost pleasant sensation. If this was how dying felt, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Then came the pain. A sea of wind and fire, rising up from the point of contact, immobilizing him.

"Sorry." Naruto's voice trickled through his ears; it sounded strange, muffled, as though he were speaking underwater. "My zanpakuto's a naughty girl; she doesn't like to hold back."

This time, Nnoitra did scream, his tone modulating to a darkened degree as the blonde's blade touced his skull, pierced the point of his Adam's Apple and kept going. A wet gurgle left his lips, a death rattle in his lungs as the blade fell upon him and continued its descent, carving through his neck and chest and stomach, splitting through his loins as though his body were made of butter. And then it was over. Nnoitra stood there for a long moment his mind unable to believe what his body was clearly telling him. He'd been cut in half.

Bifurcated.

Ironically, his last thoughts were of Neliel before he died on his feet, the severed halves of his body toppling to the ground amidst a revolting spatter.

Naruto paid no heed for the _Octava's_ corpse; pausing, only, to clean his blade before moving on, he began the long trek back to Las Noches. It would've been a trifle for him to use Sonido and return instant- but he chose not to. Nel was gone. For all his sensory prowess he couldn't sense her; either her reaitsu had become so weak he was no longer able to sense it...or she had perished. Neither option, was all that appealing to him; it disgusted him even more than his temporary service to Aizen. Well, no more. If the shinigami didn't care for the loss of Neliel, then he wasn't worth aiding.

Frowning, the blonde turned and began walking in the opposite direction-his trek taking him deeper and deeper into the arid wastes of Hueco Muendo. The desert was as blank as his memory, any trace of his old life was long gone now; vanished, just as his short-lived days with Aizen and his espada. He remembered only his name; his love of pranks and all things ramen.

He was half-tempted to tear it all down; the shinigami's plans and his regime, but he knew not that it was folly; there were four other stronger than him, even without his release. Not to mention Aizen would probably kill him on the spot in his current state. No. His only option was to dissappear-vanish into the desert of Hueco Muendo as Neliel and her fraccion had done. Nel. Now that the greenette was gone the ache had returned, leaving him feeling truly hollow for the first time in centuries. Perhaps he would travel to the living world and amuse himself there; it wasn't as though he had anything better to do. Nel was not here. Any chance of his finding her had vanished with her reaitsu; it would take at least a millenium to search through this hollow world. Yes, he would return to the human realm and see what had changed there since his last visit. Perhaps a more peacable future awaited him there...

The now former espada didn't even stop to consider the far-reaching repercussions of such a decision; he'd absolutely no idea just how this seemingly inconsequential choice to abandon his post would affect his future, fate as he knew it would be forever altered by this decision.

For now, he was only focused on what he had lost.

"Nel...

Forlorn, he raised his tear streaked gaze to the skies.

_...where are you?"_

**A/N: Aaaaaand there we have it, folks. This opening chapter proved to be a ton of fun to write, not to mention heaps violent as Naruto dispatches Nnoitra with less ease than it would take to swat a common house fly. I just found it so amusing to have that bastard get the smackdown he deserved; a complete and utter slaughter that he stood absolutely no chance of winning.**** We experience an amusing timeskip next chapter centuries later to the events of canon and chaos of Rukia's abduction, with the action kicking itself into high gear! Naruto, being, well, NARUTO is of course going to raise hell the moment he decides to pop into the human realm...only to meet Byakuya and Renji. On a final note, the pairing is obviously NarutoxNel but remains open to the possibility of a harem in the future.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Reivew, Would Ya Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**(Preview)**

_"I get the succinct feeling we've met before." Naruto peered at Kuchiki Byakuya for a long moment, unable to decided whether he should laugh or kill the man where he stood. Said captain, for the most part, wondered what a hollow of such high calibre was doing here in the mortal realm at all. It'd shown up seemingly out of the blue, mumbling something to itself about Ramen. What's more...its timing couldn't have been worse. For such a creature to rear its head just after he'd dispatched Kurosaki Ichigo...was troublesome._

_"What do you want, hollow?" he demanded to know._

_"Hmm? Me? Nothing, I guess.." the blonde scratched the back of his head, still peering at him intently. "Its just...you sortaremind me of someone I used to know. A certain stick-up-the ass Uchiha. Maybe its the hair? Nah. Gotta be the stick up yer ass, I would think...not to mention you're kidnapping someone who **obviously **cares about that boy on the ground over there...you a masochist or something?" Abruptly he paused, eyes slightly wide. "I almost forgot! You haven't seen a woman with green hair and a killer body around here, have you? I've been looking for her for like...a few centuries."_

_Byakuya visibly sweadropped, his fingers tightening around the hilt of Senbonzakura. Clearly, this creature was derranged. Frowning, he began to unsheathe his blade._

_"I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."_

**R&R! =D**


	2. Allies and Enemies

**A/N: Weeeeeelll...I have no idea where the idea for this chapter came from. There I was, minding my own business at work, when it suddenly occured to me that I'd thought of a hilarious way to induct Naruto into the storyline and the events to come. Naturally, my imagination took it from there. I would say more, but I don't want to spoil anything. And on that note...**

**...enjoy!**

_"Ya won't...be takin' anyone...!"_

_~?_

**Allies and Enemies**

For an arrancar, time moved most swiftly. A day ended in a heartbeat. A week, the blink of an eye. A month, at the twich of their pinky finger. A year would end after a short walk. So, it really wasn't all that surprising to wake up one day to discover that an entire century had passed him by. It was, however, rather depressing. To know that one hundred years had passed him by so swiftly-and he still hadn't found hide nor hair of his former mentor. It certainly didn't help that his pesquia, or reiatsu sense, was sub-par at best.

All that time...gone. Not entirely wasted, but gone nonetheless.

Fifty of those years had been spent searching for his precious Neliel, to no avail. The remaining twenty-five were divided somewhere between training and his continued exploration of the human realm, the latter taken upon in an effort to distract himself from the former. It had been...a bit of a culture shock to see, to realize, just how everything had changed since his death millenia before. When he'd returned to what had once been Konohagakure, he'd found a strange town known as Karakura in its place. It was a homely little place, all things considered. But it was no Konoha. Not with all its technololgical advancements and cell phones and those eerie devices they called...what was it again? Computers?

For the life of him, Naruto simply couldn't fathom the internet. How did you work the damn thing?! He supposed it was a small blessing that Japanese was still the common tongue in these parts, else, he would've been even more lost back then.

But there was the another matter that had dramatically altered his outlook on life, and it wasn't the technology. Nor was it his failure to find Neliel. It didn't even have anything to do with his betrayal of Aizen. Rather, it had absolutely everything to do with the reaitsu approaching his door, the sound of footsteps drawing steadily closer despite his best efforts to ignore them. _Stubbornly._ He'd only just opened his eyes, stirred forth from his musings, when the wood was blown off its hinges and into the darkened room. Naruto's groan was eclipsed by the intruder's loud shout of:

_"Wake up, ya dickless baldy!"_

A small form lunged at him with a hiss, their lips pulled back in a wide grin, sword clearing its scabbard with a flourish even as its owner hurtled forward.

Naruto was already rolling out of bed, already exiting his gigai, departing the faux body by sheer force of will, orange pajamas falling away to reveal white robes and a dark sash. His hand ascended in the same instant the sword _descended;_ sparks flew as his fingers closed around solid steel and refused to yield. An angry grunt rewardred his efforts, accompanied by a sandaled-foot to a rather sensitive area. Now, had Naruto been in trapped in his gigai, that would've hurt.

As it was his soul that had been struck, he didn't feel a thing.

"Now now," he chided his attacker, "That wasn't very nice." Standing his full height he hoisted her up, sword and all, dangling the assailant off the floor. Hazel eyes leered back up at him, thin lips up pulled upwarrds in a defiant smirk as she struggled to wrest her sword from his grasp. _She was enjoying this._ Naruto peered down at his diminutive attacker for a long moment, wondering whether or not he ought to draw his sword. Then he returned the smile. Her attacks on his personage had become something of a morning ritual for the last decade or so, keeping him ever on his toes, forcing him to hone his skills lest he be caught off guard. Say what you will about the Vizards, but they certainly knew how to fight.

"...er."

"Beg your pardon?" Naruto's mouth curved in a slight smile.

_"I said take this, fucker!"_

Her mouth opened and a crimson _cero _swirled between her white teeth. "Oi, isn't that a little excessive-_?!"_ Naruto had just enough time to say before it blasted outward and consumed him, his form disappearing, within the bright beam's light. The slash of scarlet ploughed endlessly onwards, obliterating the back wall of his apartment before a portion of empty streets as it detonated harmlessly in the distance. Hiyori didn't have time to admire her handiwork; because Naruto reappeared just to the left of the _cero's _trajectory, his body dangerously close to her own, his arm swinging outward in a blinding arc of white and black. To her credit, the girl had the wherewithall to actually dodge, skipping backwards in retreat, laughing as his fingertips just brushed her cheek in the evening light.

"Missed." she teased, a subtle flick of her tongue between her lips and she was gone, vanishing in a whisper of shunpo. Naruto gawped at her sudden retreat for a long moment, unable to believe that the blonde had his apartment left in shambles. _Again!_ Brow twitching, he leapt after her, disappearing in a dull buzz of sonido, depariting the hole his sparring partner had inadvertantly created. She might be quick on the uptake but when it came to a contest of speed, she was still no match for him. He already knew she was retreating to the Vizard's training ground, just as they always did whenever their friendly little spars tended to rage out of hand. It was almost cathartic, chasing after her like this. Of course, it didn't remotely compare to playing tag with Yoruichi-chan, but still...

Sure enough he made into the hideout in an instant; the barrier rippling to let him through. It was an ingenious settup on Hachigen's part; a multilayered barrier that prevented any and all reiryoku from being detected by forces within and without. Of course it didn't matter once one knew its location, Naruto knew from firsthand experience that the fear of persecution was a great one; this barrier was not to keep someone out, but, to his eternal regret, to hold something in. The vizards had always been wary of their inner hollows and rightfully so, who knew what Aizen had intended by infecting them with that reaitsu?

Shinji was there to meet him, lazily offering a greeting from where he perched up in the rafters.

"Yo, Naruto." An overly-gracious smile shined out from beneath those straight blonde bangs. "She's down there if yer lookin' for her." A long finger pointed down towards the basement stairwell. Nearby, Lisa looked up from the midst manga, nodding a curt greeting of her own, one Naruto found himself returning. A grunt alerted him to Kensei's prescence, the former captain of the ninth division could be seen fiddling with a knife just out of reach by the door, his slate-grey eyes just now drifting upwards when he realized the blonde's soul, and not his gigai, stood before him.

"Hiyori woke you up again?"

"Is is that obvious?"

That actually earned him a laugh from the shinigami. "Other than the fact its seven in the evening?"

"You really are something, kid...

"Hey, its not my fault I like to sleep in." the arrancar said sardonically, "You're just a bunch of early birds, that's all."

Other greetings were tossed his way by Love and Rose, and finally, Hachigen. Wait a minute. If Lisa was over _there_, and Kensei was standing by the door then where was-

"Na~ru~to!"

The blonde grunted as pair of arms flung themselves round his neck, momentarily startled by the greenette's assault. Were it not for his upper body strength, he might've found himself bowled head over heels. As fate would have it he nearly did, the sheer force of her tackle-hug sending him skidding forward.

Of each of the vizards, she'd been the first to welcome; whereas it had taken the others years to trust him. He had to admit, he found her genuinely likeable. Almost like a little sister, of sorts. And then of course there were the colours of her outfit. Orange, orange, and more orange! With just a touch of black. Ever since he'd mentioned 'em to her she'd taken to wearing it, her old white jumpsuit replaced by the outlandish sunset ich and shadow which he so favored. To this day, he didn't know if she wore them to make him feel more at home, or because she genuinely liked them. Another mystery he'd never solve...

"I brought you ramen!" she gushed happily, burying her face into his neck, the crinkle of the bags she held becoming evident with the movement. "It's all warmed up and ready to eat!"

"You did what?!" With that statement, his attention was divided yet again. "Mashiro, I love you!" he laughed, spinning her round and around. "You beautiful goddess, you!"

"Yay!"

Naruto forcibly bit back a smile as he dashed to the nearest table, seized upon a pair of chopstricks, and dug into his favorite delicacy. It was one of the few good things about this world. _Ramen._ It had been his favorite food as a human and the same held true now, even in death, its lovely flavor still held sway over him. He was pleased to see that the times hadn't all but forgotten his favorite dish completely. Mashiro had bought three bowls for him, and although, being an arrancar, he didn't require sustenance to survive, he worked to savor every little bit of it.

Alas, it was gone all too soon.

"Was it good?" Mashiro asked softly.

"Delicious." the blonde uttered his assent and gave his thanks to the Ramen gods. "How did you know I'd be here so late?"

A light flush dusted the greenette's face.

"Woman's intuition...

"You're the best, Mashiro." He loosed a small chuckle at that as he descended the steps leading to the basement. "I'll have to treat you, next time."

Yes, this was what had changed him so dramatically. Not any one person in particular, but a group. And that group had a name.

_Shinigami._

He'd always known that there were more than Aizen and his flunkies -surely they couldn't be the only ones- but he hadn't been expecting to encounter a large group of them straight off the bat. All his instincts told him they'd been hiding out here for a good while by the time he'd finallly deigned to revisit the human world. They too were victims of Sosuke's malevolent manipulations as he'd so learned, some worse than others. A mere handful of them-such as Hiyori-had been forced to become hybrids as part of those twisted experiments; half-shinigami and half-hollow creatures that were subsuquently forced to flee Soul Society.

Lest they be cut down by their former comrades for the sin of simply existing. He knew that feeling all too well. Perhaps that was why Hirako and co. had accepted him so readily.

Being a hybrid himself-but on the other side of the scale-Naruto sympathized with his fellow exiles. Or _vizards_ as they called themselves now. He knew their pain. Shared it. He'd eventually developed a fascination for some of these sillly shinigami, having reluctantly settled in this small human town called when his efforts to find Neliel continued to prove futile. He hadn't given up hope but neither would he find himself searching for her as adroitly as he once had in the hopes of finding her hiding under a rock or something. Still, that didn't stop him from returning to Hueco Muendo almost every night in search for his beloved ally.

Urahara and the vizards helped to ease the ache that Neliels dissappearance had given him, but there were still times when the sorrow threatened to reclaim him. Hence the reason for the spars. Hiyori wasn't the only one to wake him up; sometimes Kisuke liked to surprise him by doing the deed himself or if he couldn't be bothered to do it, he would send in Shinji or another vizard to spur him into action. Other times by sending in Mashiro or Lisa and on rarer-but no less delightful-occasions, Yoruichi Shihoin would be the one to rouse Uzumaki Naruto from his slumber, not with violence, but with something just as, if not more rousing...

In short, Kisuke's plan had worked, at least, Naruto hoped it would continue to.

With someone to test himself against, his abilities had improved exponentially, surpassing his limits time and time again until he'd finally reached a plateau, of sorts. For the time being. His reaitsu was stronger than he had ever dared to dream; if push truly came to shove, he felt could take on that old fart Barragn with ease now. Perhaps even Aizen. Maybe. Hopefully. But now was not the time for such thoughts. Now, it was time for training. In other words, fun. A brief but subtle burst of sonido was al thatl it truly took to find Hiyori down below; what came next scared the living daylights out of her.

Still smiling, he drew her closer still, lips brushing her ear.

"Found you, Hiyori."

_"Sonuva bitch!" _the poor girl nearly jumped out of her skin and swiped at him.

"You can do better!"

With a sudden whisper, Naruto appeared behind Hiyori, his right hand engulfed in the subtle scarlet light of a brutal _bala. _Once again he was extremely close to the Vizard-his powerful limb bent back and ready to snap forward at his skull. Hiyori saw him and reached down for her zanpakuto, but she wasn't going to be fast enough. Any hope of her outmaneuvering the legendary arrancar was non-existent the moment that Naruto had decided to get serious, to use more than a quarter of his strength.

Naruto's arm snapped around quickly, slamming the **bala** into Hiyori's body. With a surprised grunt, the light-skinned Shinigami went flying down the training ground, a trail of dark blood following her body through the falling debris. Naruto breath caught in his throat as he struggled to suppress a laugh. He watched as Hiyori's limp body slammed against the stones's once gravity took hold of her, her skin skidding across the ground as the momentum continued to drag her over the earth. Her feet were suddenly free from the ground as her sandals carriied her over the sun-soaked terrain. Just as he had suspected-a kick that would've floored someone like Kurosaki Ichigo had only left the vizard bloodied and bruised.

Not to mention pissed.

Hiyori's mask was on, shattered just below the brim of her nose. A smooth swipe of her fingers restored the ceramic, allowing him the chance to get a good look at the ceramic shield.

Hiyori's mask—fierce, furious, passionate—filled his vision. Her hazel irises were now gold, surrounded by black, as they regarded him coolly from within their small eyeholes. He couldn't read her emotions from behind the façade of bone. Idy, he lwondered if she could read his.

_**"Not bad!"**_ his fellow blond admonished him from behind the demonic facade, raising her mask to spit out a broken tooth and a bloody gob, revealing those eerie eyes. "**_However,"_**

"However?"

**_"I thought I told you not to hold back!"_**

"Chop Cleanly!" she hissed, the deadly cleaver of her shikai taking shape in her hands. "**Kubikiri Orochi."**

Naruto tilted his head head in wonderment. She'd never used her shikai against him before. Interesting. In fact, it was so interesting, he let himself be skewered. Or so the little spitfire thought.

_'Poof''_

Hiyori cussed, her mouth turning down around the edges behind the mask as the blonde dissolved into a plume of smoke.

"Godamn shadow clone!" Her golden orbs swept backwards, scanned the terrain, searching for any sign of the blonde hiding amidst the debris. He was a wiley bastard she knew from their previous duels, always one to use the terrain to his advantage. In that at least she was successful. She looked everywhere the blonde ought to be. Left. Right. Hell, she even double-checked behind just to make certain he hadn't taken advantage of the opening her back had afforded. What she had never once suspected was an attack from below.

By the time his hands emerged from the dirt, by the time they'd closed around her ankles. it was already too late.

_"Headhunting jutsu."_

* * *

_(Hours later)_

Hirako Shinji risked a glance downward as Naruto emerged from the basement. Hiyori slung over his shoulder. One glance at her battered body was all it took. Naruto had won again. It went without saying that the kid was strong, but it never ceased to amaze him that the blonde was able to absolutely destroy the lot of them without even using _half _of his true strength. Shinji himself had been able to fight the blond to a draw back at twenty-five percent, but this...this was just absurd. He might even be able to elminate Aizen...

"Yer really freakin' strong, ya know that?"

Naruto chuckled as he gave Hiyori's prone form to Hacchi. "You're not the first to tell me that. But if I'm so strong, then what's to stop you from getting stronger?" With those words, he turned to depart.

"Where ya going?" he asked in parting. "Kinda late for a midnight stroll, ain't it?"

Naruto tittered softly to himself, he was off to yet another of his favorite pastimes.

"Gotta keep an eye on the Strawberry."

* * *

The _Strawberry_ in fact, was Kurosaki Ichigo. Highschooler. Substitute shinigami. And utterly fascinating. So too was this Kuchiki character-such fire for her diminutive size-but regardless Naruto's attention was drawn to the boy instead of the girl. _Not in that way! _

He'd found himself taking a liking to this "Kurosaki Ichigo" if solely for his choice of attire. And so he began to follow him. Always watching, always obvserving, never interfering. Frankly, the human reminded him a little of himself as he'd been all those years ago, young, uncouth, with a mouth and a temper to match. Granted, he himself _had_ had a few centuries to cool his head, but this boy was still green, still terribly wet behind those ears, practically every metaphor in the book that applied to being a rookie.

He had watched him for some time now, this Kurosaki Ichigo, observing his exploits from afar. The incident with the Menos in particular. This boy had great power, untapped potential waiting to be unlocked. Tonight, he had proved that yet again, laying waste to

Quietly, he'd watched how the battle played out. He watched as the orange haired shinigami was cut down trying to protect that girl. She called the attacker brother. But the way he talked to her. And to kill her friend. Was that really what a brother would do? He'd never had a family so he couldn't say for sure. But that just made this hurt even more. That girl was his family. Someone precious. So why was he hurting her? With that single question in his mind he made his move, borrowing a page from an old friend's playbook.

Today, he intervened.

_"Konoha Senpu!"_

Byakuya barely had enough time to raise his zanpakuto enough to block the flying kick that was sent his way. Even so the sheer force sent cracks shooting across the surface of his sword and all but launched him away from Ichigo. Naruto landed and placed himself between them, sword drawn, refusing to give this deadly swordsman the chance to advance.

"What the… a Hollow!" came Rukia's voice from the side-lines.

"No...Commander Shepard." Naruto's deadpann was barely concealed as he engaged the noble in battle. "Whaddya think I am, tiny?!"

Despite herself and the peril in which she found herself, Kuchiki Rukia bristled.

_"Tiny?"_

"Kuchiki-taichou!"

Naruto noticed the red head's charge him. How could he not? All that shouting wasn't exactly wise when you were trying to sneak up on your opponent. Now he was in no mood. As Renji slashed down at his exposed back, he swung his free arm around and caught the blade. Unlike Hiyori's attack earlier in the evening this didn't sting in the slighest. It was almost...dissapointing. Scowling at the feeble strength behind its edge the blonde yanked down on the weapon and squeezed, shattering the blade into a thousand pieces. Before Renji even had time to realize this, Naruto's sandal greeted his face, slamming into his nose to send him crashing against a nearby telephone pole.

Rukia was surprised by the sudden appearance of the hollow. Even more so by its power, as it effortlessly defeated Renji in a single blow _and _held back her older brother in the same vein. And to think, Ichigo had tried to fight against that before. But more importantly Renji was no longer holding onto her and her brother was not nearby. So giving it no more thought she quickly hurried over to Ichigo's side.

"Ichigo!"

At those words, Byakuya tensed, renewing his focus on the strange hollow standing between him and his objective.

The blond frowned thoughtfully at that. "You know...

...?"

"I get the succinct feeling we've met before." Naruto peered at Kuchiki Byakuya for a long moment, unable to decided whether he should laugh or kill the man where he stood. Said captain, for the most part, wondered what a hollow of such high calibre was doing here in the mortal realm at all. It'd shown up seemingly out of the blue, nearly shattering his sword with a single kick, and dispatching his lieutenant as though he were nigh but an unruly child. What's more...its timing couldn't have been worse. For such a creature to rear its head just after he'd dispatched Kurosaki Ichigo...was troublesome.

"What do you want, hollow?" he demanded to know.

"Hmm? Me? Nothing, I guess..." the blonde scratched the back of his head, still peering at him intently. "Its just...you sorta remind me of someone I used to know. A certain stick-up-the ass Uchiha. Maybe its the hair? Nah. Gotta be the stick up yer ass, I would think...not to mention you're kidnapping someone who **obviously **cares about that boy on the ground over there...you a masochist or something?" Abruptly he paused, eyes slightly wide. "I almost forgot! You haven't seen a woman with green hair and a killer body around here, have you? I've been looking for her for like...a few centuries."

Byakuya visibly sweatdropped, his fingers tightening around the hilt of Senbonzakura. Clearly, this creature was derranged. Not to mention dangerous. At a mere one fifth of his power he wasn't entirely certain he could slay it without unsealing his sword. With that in mind, he began to utter the words for his shikai.

"Scatter-

His words ended in a pained grunt as his right shoulder exploded into a shower of bloody viscera, rendering the limb completely useless. He nearly dropped his blade, intercepting it with his remaining hand before it had a chance to clatter from his grasp.

"Ya won't be takin' anyone tonigh." the arrancar drawled. "Kuchiki Byakuya."

Despite himself, Byakuya took a step back, not out of fear, but to assess the situation. It was clear the arrancar had injured him somehow.

But how had he done it? The motion had been so swift the Kuchiki had barely even noticed it; the hollow'd raised his hand and made a sharp chopping motion with his palm. The next moment, his arm was in tatters. He yearned to understand what had happened, but found himself lost. That was it. He hadn't even deigned to use his blade, and already Byakuya was down an arm. Already, his situation was beginning to look grim. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his fuku-taichou beginning to stir, for what little good it did him. He would be of no help in this fight.

Naruto waved his hand again, this time, Byakuya stepped aside, gaining a thin slice in the opposite cheek instead of the ruination of his remaining arm. But even so, the thought that a hollow could disable him so easily was amost enough to break his surreal composure. Almost, but not quite. Pulling himself together, his slated grey eyes narrowed upon his opponent.

"When did you-

"You'd be surprised what a little bit of wind chakra can do." the blonde chuckled, "Now, I'm kinda pissed right now so_...you'll have to forgive me if I skip the warmup."_ Abruptly he vanished, his words dissolving within a brutalic buzz of sonido. Byakuya barely managed to reciprocate in kind-disappearing a split second before the man's blade would've split his skull, instead slamming into the tarmac where he'd been standing. The street ruptured from the strike, water mains beneath the concrete bursting, divulging their contents to join the deluge pouring down around them. Tsking, he vanished again, joining the unseen chase.

As one they disappeared. blade up in time.

Naruto scraped his blade along the length of Byakuya's, forcing his arm back in time for him to block forcefully. His left arm also swung away, and he lunged forward, taking this sudden advantage to be on the attack. A satisfied snort leapt from his lips as his fingers as he lunged forward, pressing the attack. Byakuya skipped backward as he slashed repeatedly and desperately-just barely blocking or dodging those enormously powerful strikes from becoming lethal gashes. Without his dominant hand he could barely reflect them, and as the blond refused to give him the chance to release his shikai-

"Burn." Naruto muttered suddenly, the outer edge of his sword pulsating an eerie crimson as he spoke, as the captain looked on. Whether this be the release of the arrancar's blade-unlikely-or something else, Byakuya knew not. As it was, he barely had time to register that, to hear those words, before the searing blade burst through his guard, tearing Senbonzakura to pieces to carve an angry red line across his chest. The heat of it seared through him like a lance, cauterizing the wound and sending him spiraling to the street.

He tried to rise, tried to prop himself upon his elbows, but the blonde was suddenly above him, forcing the noble down to the tarmac.

"It's too late for that," Naruto said, twirling his zanpakuto some more. The faint scent of sulfur wafted around them. "In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm not your typical arrancar. Neither is my zanpakuto the same as you might expect from that of a hollow's. She's such a fickle little thing, ya know? Always wanting to skip the banter and get right to the bleeding."

Byakuya didn't reply.

"So," Naruto resumed, "while I've got you here, why don't we have a little chat, eh?"

The Kuchiki refused to look him in the eye. Naruto didn't take very kindly to that.

"_Look _at me," he said simply, as he forced Byakuya's eyes onto his. "I said...**LOOK AT ME SHINIGAMI!"** The pure venom behind the voice was staggering. How could _anyone_ be capable of that much hate? "I'm gonna let you go, just this once, because I get the feeling Tiny over there-

Rukia shrieked! "I am not Tiny!"

-wouldn't like it if I shoved yer head up yer ass." Naruto continued uninmpeeded. "So on that lovely note, I'm going to do something worse. Much worse. Worse than a Thousand Years of Pain! Y'see, I've developed this little technique over the last year and I'll be straight with ya, I've been **_dying_ **to try out. Now, what is the name of this terrible technique you ask? Why, I'll tell you! I call it_...ONE MILLION YEARS OF PAIN!"_ With that in mind, Naruto raised his heel and stomped down hard on the man's groin. HARD. Harder than he'd ever dared to do before. And thus, Kuchiki Byakuya head of the noble Kuchiki clan and captain of the sixth division...

...suffered the most humilating defeat in existence.

Words alone could not describe the pain he felt as his adversary's heel descended mercilessly upon that sensitive area. Agony was too soft a term to describe what he was currently experiencing. Only that the blackness when it finally came, was a mercy. It meant he didn't have to suffer through the hell of having his balls crushed to fine powder anymore...

"Well, that was carthatic." Naruto heaved, his eyes fading back to sapphire. "Now, where did the red one gone...oh fuck!"

When Naruto finally took his attention from his precious prey, he realized something. Renji was gone. So too, was Rukia. His last sight was that of the Senkaimon snapping shut between them, of watching Kuchiki Rukia struggling in his grasp. "You lose, hollow." He said, sounding oddly mournful. "This is...for Soul Society's own good." Naruto dashed forward, for all his speed he couldn't rewind time-the portal between their worlds was already fast closing, scarce had he taken a step towards it than the sliding door slammed shut in his face. Then the gateway was gone.

Naruto stared at the place where the Senkaimon had been. His gaze strayed to Byakuya's prone form then Ichigo's, the unconcious boy bleeding out at his feet, reaizing he'd failed to save the girl Kurosaki had been so desperately trying to save. This wasn't a victory. This was failure. Complete and utter. With that, a single word escaped the blonde's lips.

_"Fuck."_

**A/N: BAHAHAHAHA! I've outdone myself this time, I think! Not a thousand years of pain but a million! Betcha thought Aizen or someone was going to interfere and ensure that Rukia was captured huh? Nope! Unfortunately, his moment of inattention has cost him most dear, as Renji, being, welll...Renji, decided to make off with Rukia during the confusion. But it seems Byakuya won't be in a state to move anytime soon...so they've essentially exchanged one Kuchiki for another...hahahaha!**

**Expect hilarity to ensue when Naruto goes to Soul Society! Pure! Unadulterated! Hilarity!**

**On another note, I would like to say that I have gotten major inspiration from AnisoulJ93's The Prankster God of Hueco Muendo. Its a wonderfully hilarious story, and I really recommend that you read it! ****On a final note, the pairing is obviously NarutoxNel but remains open to the possibility of a harem in the future.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Reivew, Would Ya Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preview**

**(Preview)**

_Naruto's grin actually made Soifon a touch uncomfortable. She'd never faced an opponent like this...was she actually...nervous?!_

_"Hello, beautiful...shall we play a little game, you and I?"_

**R&R! =D**


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